ENG3207DA | 2025 | University of Exeter

MODULE TITLE	Practical Hydraulic Engineering	CREDIT VALUE	15
MODULE CODE	ENG3207DA	MODULE CONVENER	Prof Albert S. Chen (Coordinator)

DURATION: TERM	1	2	3
DURATION: WEEKS	2	0	0

Number of Students Taking Module (anticipated)	25

DESCRIPTION - summary of the module content

Hydraulic engineering is concerned with the flow and transportations of fluids, and hydraulic systems use the force of liquids to transmit power. This module gives you the understanding you need to analyse and modify existing hydraulic systems and design new systems to British Standards.

You will learn about the dynamic behavior of water in structures and devices used to control the flow of water. These include pipelines, tunnels, pumps, turbines, valves, open channels, dams, spillways, gates and weirs. Furthermore, you will learn about models used to describe water behavior and the theory behind those models. Finally, you will gain a full understanding of analytical and experimental tools for designing and checking hydraulic systems and structures.

Prerequisite module: ECM1206 Mechanics or equivalent

AIMS - intentions of the module

The aim of this module is to familiarise you with the topics in hydraulics that are essential for a civil engineering graduate specialising in design of hydraulic structures, and to develop a good analytical understanding in these areas. It is also designed to develop your abilities to analyse and modify existing hydraulic systems and to design new systems.

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES (ILOs) (see assessment section below for how ILOs will be assessed)

Programmes that are accredited by the Engineering Council are required to meet Accreditation of Higher Education

Programmes (AHEP4) Learning Outcomes. The following Engineering Council AHEP4 Learning Outcomes are taught and assessed on this module.

Discipline and Module Intended Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this module you should be able to:

Module Specific Skills and Knowledge

Understand the dynamic behaviour of water in a civil engineering system and adopt appropriate approaches to analyse the flow conditions for various situations (C1 and M1)
Select and apply appropriate computational and analytical techniques to model complex problems, recognising the limitations of the techniques employed. (C3 and M3)

Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge

Design solutions for complex problems that meet a combination of societal, user, business and customer needs as appropriate. This will involve consideration of applicable health & safety, diversity, inclusion, cultural, societal, environmental and commercial matters, codes of practice and industry standards (C5 and M5)

Personal and Key Transferable / Employment Skills and Knowledge

Analyse complex problems to reach substantiated conclusions using first principles of mathematics, statistics, natural science and engineering principles (C2 and M2)
Communicate effectively on complex engineering matters with technical and non-technical audiences (C17 and M17)

SYLLABUS PLAN - summary of the structure and academic content of the module

Overview of civil hydraulic engineering
Theory of flow in pipelines
Major and minor losses
Pressure surge
Pump systems
Open channel properties
Specific Energy
Critical flow
Rapidly varied flow: hydraulic jump
Rapidly varied flow: weir, gate
Uniform flow: flow resistance, roughness, Manning formula
Uniform flow: flow computation and channel design
Gradually varied flow: theory and analysis
Gradually varied flow: subcritical and supercritical flow
Gradually varied flow: water surface profile and calculation

LEARNING AND TEACHING

LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND TEACHING METHODS (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning & Teaching Activities	43	Guided Independent Study	60	Placement / Study Abroad	50

DETAILS OF LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND TEACHING METHODS

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled learning and teaching activities	22	Lectures
Scheduled learning and teaching activities	11	Tutorials
Scheduled learning and teaching activities	10	Laboratories
Guided independent study	60	Guided independent study
Placerment	47	Learning at work

ASSESSMENT

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT - for feedback and development purposes; does not count towards module grade

Form of Assessment	Size of Assessment (e.g. duration/length)	ILOs Assessed	Feedback Method
Questions in lectures	Various	1-5	Answers provided on spot

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT (% of credit)

Coursework	20	Written Exams	80	Practical Exams	0

DETAILS OF SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Form of Assessment	% of Credit	Size of Assessment (e.g. duration/length)	ILOs Assessed	Feedback Method
Examination	80	2 hours	1-4	Provided on request, based on exam paper marking
Coursework Laboratory Report	20	Approx 10 pages	1-5	Comments in the report and/or the assessment form

DETAILS OF RE-ASSESSMENT (where required by referral or deferral)

Original Form of Assessment	Form of Re-assessment	ILOs Re-assessed	Time Scale for Re-assessment
Written exam	Examination (80%)	1-4	Referral/deferral Period
Coursework Laboratory Report	Coursework (20%)	1-5	Referral/deferral period

RE-ASSESSMENT NOTES

Deferral – if you have been deferred for any assessment you will be expected to submit the relevant assessment. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be expected to submit the relevant assessment. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will be capped at 4/50%

If the Deferral or Referral relates to

Examination – A similar Examination which assesses the same Intended Learning outcomes would be set
Coursework Laboratory Report: This is a practical exercise; therefore, it would be impractical to repeat. A coursework which assesses the Intended Learning Outcomes would be set

RESOURCES

INDICATIVE LEARNING RESOURCES - The following list is offered as an indication of the type & level of
information that you are expected to consult. Further guidance will be provided by the Module Convener

Andrew Chadwick, John Morfett, and Martin Borthwick, Hydraulics in Civil and Environmental Engineering, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/exeter/detail.action?docID=1566007
Melvyn Kay, Practical Hydraulics, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/exeter/detail.action?docID=325442
David Butler, Christopher James Digman, Christos Makropoulos, and John W. Davies, Urban Drainage, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/exeter/detail.action?docID=5303411
Frank R. Spellman and Joanne Drinan, Water Hydraulics : Fundamentals for the Water and Wastewater Maintenance Operator, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/exeter/detail.action?docID=5379032
Chaudhry, M Hanif, Open-Channel Flow, https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9780387301747
Roland Jeppson, Open Channel Flow : Numerical Methods and Computer Applications, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/exeter/detail.action?docID=4010273
Artur Radecki-Pawlik, Stefano Pagliara, and Jan Hradecky, Open Channel Hydraulics, River Hydraulic Structures and Fluvial Geomorphology : For Engineers, Geomorphologists and Physical Geographers, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/exeter/detail.action?docID=504142

Reading list for this module:

Type	Author	Title	Edition	Publisher	Year	ISBN
Set	Chadwick, Andrew; Morfett, John and Borthwick, Martin	Hydraulics in Civil and Environmental Engineering	4th	Spon Press, London	2004	000-0-415-30609-4

CREDIT VALUE	15	ECTS VALUE	7.5

PRE-REQUISITE MODULES	ECM1206
CO-REQUISITE MODULES

NQF LEVEL (FHEQ)	6	AVAILABLE AS DISTANCE LEARNING	No
ORIGIN DATE	Tuesday 14th March 2017	LAST REVISION DATE	Monday 3rd March 2025

KEY WORDS SEARCH	Civil engineering; dynamic behaviour of water; controlling the flow of water; design hydraulic systems and structures; theoretical and experimental work

Practical Hydraulic Engineering - 2025 entry